International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Lagarde advocates closer European integration
IMF managing director tells Romanian audience the ‘right future’ for Eastern Europe is greater integration with its EU neighbours; implores region not to turn its back on European project
Central Bank of Hungary moves to shut IMF's Budapest office
Central bank governor György Matolcsy says Hungary has almost completed its stand-by arrangement, so the IMF's work there is done; Hungary's relationship with the fund has been turbulent
Paper finds global beats local in determining short-run sovereign bond spreads
Global factors tend to drive spread changes particularly during periods of severe market stress
IMF cuts global growth forecast as capital outflows hit EM economies
Global growth is projected to remain slightly above 3% in 2013; fund says risks of a longer growth slowdown in emerging market economies ‘have increased'
IMF's Lagarde supports negative rates in eurozone
IMF Article IV for the eurozone backs Draghi promise to keep rates low and says negative rates would support demand and ward off deflation; ECB chief concerned that financial transactions tax will hurt monetary policy efficacy
No ‘credit crunch' in the Middle East after Basel I, IMF paper finds
Despite higher capital adequacy ratios, banks expanded credit and asset growth, according to new research
Overlooked global factors have major impact on long-term interest rates, IMF paper says
Research paper says the explanatory power of domestic variables on rates is weak compared with global fiscal and monetary policy stances
IMF paper highlights weak monetary transmission mechanism in Vietnam
Vietnam has suffered from higher inflation than other Asian economies over the past five years – despite comparable growth rates
Finance sector balance sheets vital for monetary policy transmission, IMF paper shows
Balance sheet effects are comparable in magnitude to the traditional interest rate channel in transmitting monetary policy, say IMF researchers
IMF figures show advanced economies loading up on Australian dollars
Stock of foreign exchange reserves continues upward trajectory, with Australian currency finding favour in advanced economies, and the Canadian dollar in vogue in emerging nations
IMF plans overhaul of assistance to central banks and governments
Policy paper lays out plans for ‘single strategy’ combining technical assistance and training; pilot programme for new Capability Assessment Program aims to improve monetary and fiscal policy
IMF research quantifies distributional damage from fiscal consolidation
Working paper suggests efforts to cut budget deficits in advanced economies have raised inequality, cut the wage income share of GDP and pushed up long-term unemployment
ESRB issues macro-pru advice, as IMF warns over possible conflicts
European Systemic Risk Board recommends five ‘intermediate objectives' for macro-prudential policies in the EU; IMF paper warns of potential conflicts with micro-prudential measures
IMF paper weighs effect of shifting bank funding in eastern Europe
Researchers from the International Monetary Fund find banks rebalancing their funding sources away from foreign loans; warns global regulation may make this process too rapid
IMF’s Zhu examines impact of changing global relationships on Asian economies
Min Zhu, an IMF deputy managing director, discusses the move towards a global supply chain and the challenges it presents to the development of the Asian financial markets
Bank of Russia easing could 'jeopardise' inflation anchor
IMF releases Article IV consultation with Russia; encourages central bank to focus on inflation objectives and warns rate cuts would jeopardise ability to hit target range this year and next
IMF expects Fed to hold QE steady until 2014
IMF releases Article IV consultation with United States; praises impact of Federal Reserve's asset purchases but criticises ‘excessively rapid and ill-designed' deficit reduction
IMF paper explores link between low interest rates and bank risk-taking
Working paper finds banks take more risks in low short-term interest rate environment; more so if they are well capitalised
Lagarde says QE risks are real, but bubbles are not forming yet
IMF managing director says accommodative policy should remain in place in advanced economies, but clear articulation of an exit strategy will be needed to avoid a repeat of 1994's ‘brutal exit'
IMF paper says direct eurozone spillovers limited to US and UK banks
Working paper analyses effects of eurozone crisis at bank level; finds direct impact limited to UK and US though other regions could be susceptible to knock-on effects
Fischer gives high marks to Bernanke and Draghi
Outgoing Bank of Israel governor Stanley Fischer believes the world owes a great debt to Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and praises ECB president Mario Draghi; says Israel can live with side effects of QE
Bank of Israel’s outgoing chief, Stanley Fischer, on the challenges of central banking
Stanley Fischer believes his work as governor of the Bank of Israel is done. He tells Chris Jeffery about the reform process in Israel as well as the challenges facing the world economy and the IMF
Policy-maker prudence can't help early warning efficacy, IMF paper finds
Working paper finds parametric early-warning systems are preferable to non-parametric; greater prudence lets policy-makers call more crisis episodes correctly, but at the cost of more false alarms
IMF prescribes faster eurozone progress for both Spain and Germany
IMF teams report progress being made in both Spain and Germany, though sluggish progress on banking union could stop both economies from bouncing back more quickly